5/15/2012

Oatmeal Honey Bread

After reading the comments about what you would make first if you won the digital kitchen scale, I was delighted that many of you stated that you would make homemade bread. I thought I would take this opportunity to showcase this tasty sandwich bread. While I do use a scale when measuring, this bread can easily be made without one. Just remember to use the spoon and level method when measuring your flour. Do not pack your flour or the bread will be too tough.

I found this bread recipe years ago on the side of the King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour bag. I made it, loved it, and took for granted that it would always be there. Big mistake. They stopped featuring that recipe and I was unable to find it anywhere in their books or website. Then many months ago, I was thrilled to see it back on the side of the bag. Ah, sweet serendipity! I quickly copied it down while a batch of dough was rising.

The oatmeal provides a natural, homey taste and chewy texture. The bit of honey adds a perfectly paired sweetness. Once cooled and sliced, it makes for a wonderful deli sandwich and it toasts up beautifully as part of your morning meal.

In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough. Knead the dough by hand (10 minutes) or by mixer (5 minutes until it is smooth.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and shape into a ball. Lightly grease a large bowl, cover, and allow to rest for 1 hour; it will become quite puffy, though it may not double in size.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a log. Place the log, seam side down, into a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for 60-90 minutes until the dough has risen 1" over the rim of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190° F. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes of baking. Remove the bread from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from the side of the King Arthur Flour Unbleached Bread Flour Bag